Island



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1. G. B. SMITH.

MAKING SEAMLBSS GOLD PLATED WIRE.

vPeflzenfced May 13, 1890.

INVENTUFM WITNESSES- (No Model) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. B. SMITH. MAKING SBAMLESS GOLD PLATED WIRE. No. 428,056. Patented May13, 1890.

FIE-E,

lEn-"l- INVENTUR,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. R. SMITH. MAKING SEAMLESS GOLD PLATED WIRE. No. 428,056.. PatentedMay 13, 1890.-

"II I O 1; T/ R 0% I W' "T -Hs a wrrN Eases. INVEN TUR- UNITED STATESPATENT FFICE.

CHARLES R. SMITH, OF PROVIDENCE, RIIODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TIVO- THIRDSTO EDIVARD D. \VILLIAMS ,AND FRANK l\i[. MATHEIVSON, OF SAME PLACE.

MAKING SEAMLESS GOLD-PLATED WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,056, dated May 13,1890.

Application filed March 8, 1890. $eria11Io. 343,152. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: stock toughens and hardens the fiber of theBe it known that I, CHARLES R. SMITH, of gold, making the wire lesscapable of being the city and county of Providence, in the State workedto advantage. of RhodeIsland,haveinventeda new and use- By my improvedprocess I dispense with ful Improvementin Processes of hflanufacturtheprelimii'lary formation of a compound ing Gold-Plated ire; and I declarethe folsoldered plate or ingot, and also the entire lowing to be aspecification thereof, reference process of reducing the stock to thedesired being had to the accompanying drawin diameter by drawing,(except the final draw- Like letters indicate like parts. ing to get aproper finish.) I thus obtain a 10 Figure 1 IS a side elevation of themechanbetter result and at a less cost.

ism used in my improved process. Fig. 2 is In the drawings, A representsa shell or an end elevation of the standard or guide split tube of goldmade from flat stock in the plate used to support the wire during theprousual manner. This tube has the usual loncess. Fig. 3 shows in sideelevation and crossgitudinal opening a.

I 5 section the shell or split tube of gold which B is the solid wire ofcomposition or any is to be plated on the wire. Fig. 4E shows, suitablemetal. The shell A should be covpartly in side elevation and partly inlongiered with borax or any of the well-known tudinal andcross-sections, the composition or fluxes, and the wire B is alsocovered with the base-metal wire which is to be plated. Fig. samepreparation. The shellAis then slipped 5 shows, partly in side elevationand partly or drawn on the wire B, as shown in Fig. 5,

in longitudinal and cross-sections, the gold the opening a being apart,as before. shell in position upon the wire of base metal. Fig. 6 showsthe result of my process, which Fig. 6 shows, partly in side elevationand is-a solid wire having an inner core of infepartly in longitudinaland cross sections, rior metal and an outer seamless tube of gold 25 theseamless gold-plated wire which is the plate soldered firmly thereon bythe process product of my improved process. Figs. 7, '8, hereinafterdescribed. and 9 are respectively side and end eleva- Any suitablemechanism which will rotate tions and a top plan of a modified form ofand feed the wire at a proper rate of speed said mechanism adapted toreceive the gold may be adapted to this process. In the draw- 30 in theform of a ribbon or wire to be plated ings I represent a form ofmechanism suiton the composition wire. able for this purpose. Itconsists of a ma This invention relates to the. manufacture chine havinga bed-piece C and upright bearof that class of wire used by jewelers,which ings D. A shaft E is mounted in said bearconsists of an interiorsolid wire of basemetal ings. The shaft E has a longitudinal slot 1),

35 and an exterior solid tube of gold, which is .and is movable alongpins c, which enter said soldered upon said inner wire. It has beenslot. F is a friction-clutch, engageable in the common hitherto to makesuch wire by drawusual manner with the pulley G, by means of ing througha draw-plate a compound cylinwhich clutch the pulley is made fast orloose drical ingot of goldlhaving a core of inferior upon the shaft, asmay be desired. The shaft 4 metal, until it is reduced in diameter tothe E is screw-threaded, and is movable longi- 9o requisite size, theresult being awire of base tudinally when revolved by its engagementmetal having a thin covering of gold plate, or with a feeder II, whichis screw-threaded on by soldering a gold plate upon a fiat piece of itsupper surface, and which is vertically composition stock and thencupping this commovable through the bracket I. The feeder 45 pound plateuntilatube is formed, which can II can be thrown up into engagement withbe drawn down into a solid wire through 'a the shaft E, or may bedisengaged therefrom draw-plate. These processes, however, are by meansof a suitable lever or treadle. The tedious and expensive, and the stockrequires shaft E is thus capable of rotation and l0ngifrequent annealingfrom time to time during tudinal motion at the same time by theen- 5 theoperation. The repeated drawing of the gagement of the friction-clutch Fwith the ICC) pulley G and of the feeder ll with the shaft E,respectively. At the end of the shaft E is a socket (Z and a setscrew 0.A standard .T has a slotted head K and a set -serew f. In the slottedhead rests a guide-plate L, which is horizontally adjusted in the slotof the head K, and when it is in the desired position it is secured bythe sct-screw f. The guide-plate L has an opening or aperture g, whichis V-shaped in its lower part, as seen in Fig. 2. A set screw 71,passing through a boss m on the top edge of the guide-plate L, has itslower end projecting into said. aperture, as seen in Fig. How-pipes M,of any desired number, preferably two or more, are placed as illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2.

After the gold shell A has been put upon the wire B, as shown in Fig. 5,a sleeve or tube N, made of platinum, is slipped on the wire loosely andis passed through the aperture g of the guide'plate L. One end of thewire is inserted in the socket (I of the shaft E, and is fastened thereby the set-screw c. The platinum sleeve N rests in the aperture 9 of theguide-plate L, and is held in its adjust ment there by the set-screw 7!,as best seen in Fig. 2.

When the pulley G has been made'fast to the shaft E by the clutch F andthe feeder ll has been engaged with the shaft E, as already described, arotary and progressive movement is imparted to the wire B and itsinclosingshell A. Said mechanism advances or feeds the wire through theplatinum sleeve (which is snugly held within the guide-plate L by theset-screw 71) on between the blow-pipes ill. The heat of the blow-pipesshould be regulated at 2,000 Fahrenheit. \Vhen the wire and shell areexposed to this heat, the gold is immediately melted and flows over thewire in a solid mass, closing up the opening (I. As is well known, theheated metal is drawn toward the flame, and as the wire is both rotatedand fed the gold is flowed uniformly over the wire and united to it,forming a solid mass having a surface of gold-plate, which is seamlessthroughout.

Instead of placing a split tube or shell of gold-plate on the wire, asabove described, leaving a longitudinal opening a, I may apply the goldplate in strips or ribbons, or in the form of a wire, and arrange tofeed it upon the base-metal wire in an angular direction. Toaccomplishthis purpose the modifications of mechanism shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9are useful. An arm 0, pivoted at n, earries a red I, fastened to itbythe collar 0 and screw 1). A sliding collar Q, adjustable on the rod Pby the screw 1, has a downwardlyprojecting piece 0', bent, as seen inFig. 8, to which a steel plate .5- is fastened by a screw '1". Aplatinum guide R is secured to the steel plate .5- by the screw 1!. Nearthe end of the red I is a supporting-rod S, which passes through the rod1' and is vertically adjustable therein by the set-screw r. The lowerporaespse tion of the rod is broadened transversely, as seen in Fig. 8,and there concaved, so as to rest on the wire as the latter isadvancing. The arm 0 and all these connected parts can be swung upwardinto the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8. As the steelplate s is slotted, as shown at w in Fig. 7, it is vertically adjustableand can be held in the desired position by the set-screw t. .lly suchadjustment the delivery of the platinum guide R can be brought to anyrequired distance above the wire which is to be plated, while thesupporting-rod S, adj ustable in the rod 1? by the set-screw 2:, holdsthe arm l and the guide R connected therewith at a uniform height abovesaid wire.

The strip of gold plate T is fed from a suitable reel. through fcedrolls, (not shown,) which are of such size and so timed in rate of speedin relation to the rotation of the wire to be plated that the length ofthe strip T, fed as stated, is equal to the circumference of said wire.The wire I havingbeen properly covered with the fluxing mat crial issupported in the holding-plates U and is fed to the blowpipes V \V, andat the same time rotated by the mechanism hcreinbefore described, or inany suitable manner. As soon as the gold strip T, which has also beenpreviously coated with the tlnxing material, is exposed to the heat ofthe blow-pipes it melts and flows on the wire 13 in the same manner asalready explained. The blow-pipe V is oblong and should give a flameheated to about; $300" Fahrenheit, which sweats the wire 1 or partiallysoftens it to adapt it the better to receive the gold plating. It ismade oblong, so as to give an extended flame for this purpose. Theblow-pipe \V (shown in Fi 8 and 5), but notshown in liig. 7) is thecommon blowpipe having a small round discharge. The heat of its flameshould be 2,000 Fahrenheit. When the wire is exposed to the heat of bothblasts, the gold is melted and flows over the wire B in a solid anduniform mass.

liy using a second guide R and two strips T of gold-one of red gold andthe other of green gold--a pleasing contrast of: color may be obtained,which, by regulating the comparative speed of the rotation and advanceof the wire 13 and by other readily apparent modifications, will producevarious novel and artistic results. lly this process gold of a highgrade may be plated on gold of a lower grade, or silver can be plated ona baser metal, or any desired metal upon another, and this process isalso applicable to plating flat stock as well as to plating wire.

liy feeding the wire and plate to the flames by means of powerautomatieall y, by suitable mechanism, a uniform rotation is given tothe wire and a steady advance at the same time. Each ofsaid motions iscapable of any desired degree of variation, so that the portion of thewire to be plated, as well as the lflftiilllg-lllel'tll, can be keptinthe flame as long a time as is necessary to completely melt and flow thegold uniformly on the composition wire.

When the plating has been accomplished, the wire so plated is pickled inacid to remove the fiuxing material which may remain on the outersurfaces, and the wire is then drawn through a draw-plate to give it asmooth and polished appearance, or said wire may be finished byhammering, rolling, or in any other proper manner.

I claim as a novel and useful invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent 1. The improved process of plating herein described, consistingof the following steps: covering with a fluxiug material the metal whichis to be plated, covering with a fiuxing material the plating-metal,placing the latter metal upon the former and passing them so in contactthrough the flame of one or more blow-pipes, and there fusing andflowing the plating-metal upon the metal to be plated in position in asolid mass, substantially as specified.

2. The improved process of manufacturing seamless gold-plated wireherein described, consisting of the following steps: covering a wire ofbase metal with a fluxing material, covering a split tube of gold platewith a fluxing material, placing the split tube upon the wire, feedingsaid Wire and tube with a rotary and longitudinal movement through theflame of blow-pipcs, and fusing there the gold tube upon the wire in asolid mass, and then smoothing and finishing the plated wire by any ofthe usual methods for that purpose, substantially as specified.

3. The improved process of manufacturing seamless gold-plated wireherein described, consisting of the following steps: covering a wire ofbase metal with a fluxing material, covering a strip of gold plate witha fluxin'g material, feeding said strip to said wire in an angulardirection, feeding said wire with a rotary and longitudinal movementthrough the fiame of blow-pipes, and fusing there the gold strip uponthe wire in a solid mass, and then smoothing and finishing the platedWire in any suitable known manner, substantially as specified.

CHARLES R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

EDWARD F. LovEJoY, WARREN R. PERCE.

